Sunday, January 30, 2011

lots of people asked me if i had a design for a boardcut that has no curves, just edges. Obviously straight cuts are easier for people than curves.

OK, I designed a variation of the Phoenix. No curves! Rounding is easy, too. The attachment is old but unusual, I used it on my Carbon fiber slingshot and also on a steel frame I shot in Alverton. My bands lived forever! I think the design is responsible for this, in part.

I laminated scrap wood to it to make the palm swell, looked nice but the color was very bleak. So I inked it, this time in maize yellow. After sanding and linseed oiling, I think it is quite pleasing. Attached some light training bands.

I guess because sheer willpower makes the ball not hitting the stick and/or not entangling itself in the pouch.

Shoots great, you can make it in no time. Butterfly style of course, very accurate.

BTW the groove in the stick is because this is my draw strength test stick. I put my scales ring around the stick, secured by the groove, then I draw with a a length of string and a pouch that contains a steel ball. This way I can find out my maximum draw weight. I can do about 65 lbs (30kg), surprisingly low. I can draw out my 70 lbs bow with absolute ease, and I question if the 70 lbs are really based on an honest manufacturer spec.

I recommend testing your personal draw max this way, it helps finding the right band strength when you want the maximum power.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Have cut a nice fork from a thorntree that I can't identify. It still has leaves, so it can't be blackthorn.

Anyway, properly microwaved it and turned it into a semi ergo today. It has a palm swell where needed and it also has grooves for thumb and index finger. What I like is that even though it is heavily sculpted, it still looks like it could have been grown that way.

It was really bone white and the grain was hard to see, therefore I used my ink dying method to bring it out. I used dark brown ink.

Worked really well. This needs some cleanup in the grooves (polishing paste revealed by the photo flash), and poly coating. But otherwise it came out good.